Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)

Cuirim fáilte roimh na finnéithe go léir. Mr. O'Neill spoke about a general level of supports. He is obviously operating in an area of high deprivation. We know the particular issues that can be caused where poverty meets drugs and multigenerational trauma. There are particular periods and times. We have all seen the child protection issues in recent times whether we are talking about Kyran Durnin or Daniel Aruebose. We know the State needs to find a better way of meeting with families, screening, intervening and then applying those supports. The easiest thing in the world is to put the supports in a school-type setting. We then move to disabilities. We come into these rooms and are all in agreement about in-school therapies. The need is in the school. That is where the children are. It is sorted out from a logistics point of view so we will do that. At this stage we are talking about a pilot scheme with regard to special schools. It is 45 schools, which is significant, but they are only recruiting for this year at the moment. That is what the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, told us in this committee last week. We are still not serious. It is what Ms McDonagh said about having the real conversation about what this should look like and then doing it. I could go through the CDNT timelines. There were 445.3 positions unfilled at the most recent count. There were 10,714 on the waiting list at the end of July for first contact. Almost 7,000 of those have been waiting over a year. The AON list is 16,593 by the end of the year. That is 23,903 overdue, and which are not being delivered within six months. It makes absolute sense with regard to what the witnesses are doing. They are talking about drawing down money from regeneration. They are talking about robbing Peter to pay Paul. They will take it from everywhere. They have already gone through the cost with regard to it. On some level they have given the answer. The fact is that this is the way to do it. It is just a case of us doing this across the board. It also takes the pressure off the CDNTs, which might be able to deal with more acute cases that cannot necessarily be delivered within a school setting.

I turn to the behavioural issues, which brings back memories of our Turlough and what I would have called "moments". I do not think my wife particularly appreciated when I called them that. You are talking about frustration. At that stage his communication was not that good, and he could sink the teeth into you. Schools have always been brilliant, but they had to learn, and we had to learn. All parents ever want is strategies for this, as opposed to being ping-ponged between CAMHS, the CDNT and whoever else. I know the witnesses are all talking about protocols but none of this has moved on. On some level I am working on the basis that they have already provided answers. Do they wish to give commentary on what I have said? On some level I am fed up having this conversation. That is the big problem. It is just a matter of delivering.